The gut microbiota is directly influenced by dietary components, and it plays critical roles in chronic diseases. Excessive consumption of trans fatty acids (TFAs) is associated with obesity induced by alterations in gut microbiota, but the links between obesity and gut microbiota remain unclear. Therefore, studies examining the impact of TFAs on intestinal microflora are essential. In our study, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on faecal samples from SD rats fed a basal diet (CON group), high-fat (HF) diet (DIO group) or TFA diets (1% TFA group and 8% TFA group) for 8 weeks to investigate the effects of TFA/HF diets on obesity and gut microbiota composition. We found that the TFAs/HF diets significantly induced obesity and changes in blood and brain physiological parameters of the rats. The relative abundance of the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were inversely altered in the three test groups compared to the CON group. Proteobacteria increased slightly in the DIO, 1% TFA and 8% TFA groups. The genus Bacteroides increased in the DIO and 1% TFA groups, but Muribaculaceae decreased in all experimental groups compared to the controls. Moreover, significant differences were observed among clusters of orthologous group (COG) functional categories of the four dietary groups. Our observations suggested that the TFA/HF diets induced obesity and dysfunction of gut microbiota. Gut dysbiosis might mediate the obesity effects of TFA/HF diets.

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and caused devastating epidemics during the 20th century. Due to effective control programs implemented in the last two decades, the number of reported cases has fallen to a historically low level. Although fewer than 977 cases were reported in 2018 in endemic countries, HAT is still a public health problem in endemic regions until it is completely eliminated. In addition, almost 150 confirmed HAT cases were reported in non-endemic countries in the last three decades. The majority of non-endemic HAT cases were reported in Europe, USA and South Africa, due to historical alliances, economic links or geographic proximity to disease-endemic countries. Furthermore, with the implementation of the ‘Belt and Road’ project, sporadic imported HAT cases have been reported in China as a warning sign of tropical diseases prevention. In this paper, we explore and interpret the data on HAT incidence and find no positive correlation between the number of HAT cases from endemic and non-endemic countries. This data will provide useful information for better understanding the imported cases of HAT globally in the post-elimination phase.

White-light continuum can be induced by the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with condensed materials. By using two orthogonal polarizers, a self-induced birefringence of continuum is observed when focusing femtosecond laser pulses into bulk fused silica. That is, the generated white-light continuum is synchronously modulated anisotropically while propagating in fused silica. Time-resolved detection confirms that self-induced birefringence of continuum shows a growth and saturation feature with time evolution. By adjusting laser energy, the transmitted intensity of continuum modulated by self-induced birefringence also varies correspondingly. Morphology analysis with time evolution indicates that it is the focused femtosecond laser pulses that induce anisotropic microstructures in bulk fused silica, and the anisotropic structures at the same time modulate the generated continuum.

Electrospun coaxial fibers are used to create core/sheath fiber structures to act as growth-promoting scaffolds for in vitro dorsal root ganglia (DRG) cell cultures. The core was a conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and the sheath was poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), which created coaxial fibers with a conductive core and an insulating sheath. SEM analysis confirmed the conductivity of the core and insulation of the sheath. Several coaxial spinneret designs were tested with the best results obtained by using various annular spinning needle combinations. Using a 22G/16G and 22G/17G combination, fibers with diameters of 6.1 ± 2.4 µm and 3.3 ± 0.9 µm were spun, respectively. The fibers showed a Young’s modulus and hardness of 0.16 ± 0.13 and 0.02 ± 0.01 GPa for the larger diameters, and 0.7 ± 0.4 and 0.03 ± 0.03 GPa for the smaller diameter fibers. In vitro test cultures showed the fibers successfully directed chick DRG axonal outgrowth with low biotoxicity.

Direct numerical simulation is conducted to uncover the response of a supersonic turbulent boundary layer to streamwise concave curvature and the related physical mechanisms at a Mach number of 2.95. Streamwise variations of mean flow properties, turbulence statistics and turbulent structures are analysed. A method to define the boundary layer thickness based on the principal strain rate is proposed, which is applicable for boundary layers subjected to wall-normal pressure and velocity gradients. While the wall friction grows with the wall turning, the friction velocity decreases. A logarithmic region with constant slope exists in the concave boundary layer. However, with smaller slope, it is located lower than that of the flat boundary layer. Streamwise varying trends of the velocity and the principal strain rate within different wall-normal regions are different. The turbulence level is promoted by the concave curvature. Due to the increased turbulence generation in the outer layer, secondary bumps are noted in the profiles of streamwise and spanwise turbulence intensity. Peak positions in profiles of wall-normal turbulence intensity and Reynolds shear stress are pushed outward because of the same reason. Attributed to the Görtler instability, the streamwise extended vortices within the hairpin packets are intensified and more vortices are generated. Through accumulations of these vortices with a similar sense of rotation, large-scale streamwise roll cells are formed. Originated from the very large-scale motions and by promoting the ejection, sweep and spanwise events, the formation of large-scale streamwise roll cells is the physical cause of the alterations of the mean properties and turbulence statistics. The roll cells further give rise to the vortex generation. The large number of hairpin vortices formed in the near-wall region lead to the improved wall-normal correlation of turbulence in the concave boundary layer.

Biodegradable poly(lactide acid) (PLA) has been well-studied as a shape memory polymer in recent years, but the brittleness and relatively high Tg limit its applications. In this study, a series of PLA/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blends were manufactured by using the solvent evaporation method. The thermal behaviors, morphology, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties of the samples with different contents of PEG have been experimentally studied by differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electronic microscopy, water contact angle, dynamic mechanical analysis, and tensile test. Furthermore, the influence of PEG on the shape memory properties under different loading conditions including the stretch strain, recovery temperature, deformation temperature, and tensile rate were explored systematically. Experimental results reveal that introduction of appropriate contents of the plasticizer PEG into the PLA/PEG systems results in the significant improvement of morphology, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties while the high shape memory properties are still retained.

Efficacious antimalarial drugs are important for malaria control and elimination, and continuous monitoring of their efficacy is essential. The prevalence and distribution of Pfmdr1 were evaluated in African migrant workers in Henan Province. Among 632 isolates, 13 haplotypes were identified, NYSND (39.87%, 252/632), YYSND (2.85%, 18/632), NFSND (31.01%, 196/632), NYSNY (0.47%, 3/632), YFSND (13.77%, 87/632), NFSNY (0.32%, 2/632), YYSNY (2.06%, 13/632), YFSNY (0.16%, 1/632), N/Y YSND (1.90%, 12/632), N Y/F SND (6.17%, 39/632), N/Y Y/F SND (0.47%, 3/632), YYSN D/Y (0.16%, 1/632) and N/Y FSND (0.79%, 5/632). The highest frequency of NYSND was observed in individuals from North Africa (63.64%, 7/11), followed by South Africa (61.33%, 111/181), Central Africa (33.33%, 56/168), West Africa (28.94%, 68/235) and East Africa (27.03%, 10/37) (χ2 = 54.605, P < 0.05). The highest frequency of NFSND was observed in East Africa (48.65%, 18/37), followed by West Africa (39.14%, 92/235), Central Africa (26.79%, 45/168), South Africa (22.65%, 41/181) and North Africa (9.09%, 1/11) (χ2 = 22.368 P < 0.05). The mutant prevalence of codons 86 and 184 decreased. These data may provide complementary information on antimalarial resistance that may be utilized in the development of a treatment regimen for Henan Province.

Due to the lack of an effective and noninvasive screening tool, the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently difficult. For the early diagnosis of CRC, we have developed Fe3O4-Dye800-single chain fragment variable (ScFv)egfr/vegfr nanoprobes. ScFvegfr/vegfr (ScFv2) conjugated onto Fe3O4 nanoprobes efficiently recognized CRC tumors in vitro and in vivo. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging modalities such as Dye800 were utilized simultaneously with magnetic resonance to enhance detection efficiency. Fe3O4-Dye800-ScFv2 successfully detected tiny CRC tumors; the synergistic ScFv2 successfully enhanced CRC targeting. Thus, Fe3O4-Dye800-ScFv2 nanoprobes may represent a new molecular imaging strategy for the early detection of CRC.

Continuous parametric distributions are useful tools for modeling and pricing insurance risks, measuring income inequality in economics, investigating reliability of engineering systems, and in many other areas of application. In this paper, we propose and develop a new method for estimation of their parameters—the method of Winsorized moments (MWM)—which is conceptually similar to the method of trimmed moments (MTM) and thus is robust and computationally efficient. Both approaches yield explicit formulas of parameter estimators for log-location-scale families and their variants, which are commonly used to model claim severity. Large-sample properties of the new estimators are provided and corroborated through simulations. Their performance is also compared to that of MTM and the maximum likelihood estimators (MLE). In addition, the effect of model choice and parameter estimation method on risk pricing is illustrated using actual data that represent hurricane damages in the United States from 1925 to 1995. In particular, the estimated pure premiums for an insurance layer are computed when the lognormal and log-logistic models are fitted to the data using the MWM, MTM and MLE methods.

Protected areas, including nature reserves and management areas, are established for the conservation of biological diversity and protection of the associated natural and cultural resources. These objectives, however, are often in conflict with socio-economic development. We investigated the plant communities dominated by the dove tree Davidia involucrata in a nature reserve on Mount Jinfo, China, where people intensively manage large areas of bamboo stands. We found a significant lack of small-sized main stems of D. involucrata (0–25 cm diameter at breast height; height > 1.3 m) and newly emerging sprouts in the reserve. The height-class distribution showed a unimodal pattern, with most individuals (of both D. involucrata and co-occurring species) concentrated in the 16–28 m height-class, and few individuals in the shrub and sub-canopy layer (1.3–8 m). Existing practices to facilitate the spread of bamboo stands, and the need to develop a local market for bamboo shoots received little consideration when the nature reserve was established in 1979 to protect D. involucrata. To conserve D. involucrata on Mount Jinfo the appropriate authorities and local parties involved in bamboo harvesting need to focus on methods that are favourable to the life history of this and other tree species, and strategies for their regeneration. These methods will also benefit the conservation of other highly valued trees that share similar life-history characteristics with D. involucrata.

The Wuhan Pre/Post-Natal Twin Birth Registry (WPTBR) is one of the largest twin birth registries with comprehensive medical information in China. It recruits women from the first trimester of pregnancy and their twins from birth. From January 2006 to May 2016, the total number of twins enrolled in WPTBR is 13,869 twin pairs (27,553 individuals). The WPTBR initiated the Wuhan Twin Birth Cohort (WTBC). The WTBC is a prospective cohort study carried out through incorporation of three samples. The first one comprises 6,920 twin pairs, and the second one, 6,949 twin pairs. Both are population-based samples linked to the WPTBR and include pre- and post-natal information from WPTBR. The second sample includes neonatal blood spots as well. Using a hospital-based approach, we recently developed a third sample with a target enrolment of 1,000 twin pairs and their mothers. These twins are invited, via their parents, to participate in a periodic health examination from the first trimester of pregnancy to 18 years. Biological samples are collected initially from the mother, including blood, urine, cord blood, cord, amniotic fluid, placenta, breast milk and meconium, and vaginal secretions, and later from the twins, including meconium, stool, urine, and blood. This article describes the design, recruitment, follow-up, data collection, and measures, as well as ongoing and planned analyses at the WTBC. The WTBC offers a unique opportunity to follow women from prenatal to postnatal, as well as follow-up of their twins. This cohort study will expand the understanding of genetic and environmental influences on pregnancy and twins’ development in China.

Obesity is associated with blood pressure (BP), but the associations between different obesity indicators and BP have not reached agreement. Besides, both obesity and BP are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Whether they share the same genetic or environmental etiology has not been fully understood. We therefore analyzed the relationship between different obesity indicators and BP components as well as the genetic and environmental contributions to these relationships in a Chinese adult twin sample. Twins aged 18–79 years (n = 941) were included in this study. Body mass index (BMI) was used as the index of general obesity, whereas waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were used as the indicators of central obesity. BP components included systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Linear regression models and bivariate structural equation models were used to examine the relation of various obesity indicators with BP components, and genetic or environmental influences on these associations, respectively. A strong association of BP components with BMI—and a somewhat weaker association with WC, WHtR, and WHR—was found in both sexes, independent of familial factors. Of these phenotypic correlations between obesity indicators and BP components, 60–76% were attributed to genetic factors, whereas 24–40% were attributed to unique environmental factors. General obesity was most strongly associated with high BP in Chinese adult twins. There were common genetic backgrounds for obesity and BP, and unique environmental factors also played a role.

A facile method that allows chemical functionalization of graphene sheets is described. These result in a solution processable graphene-based material, namely F-graphene, which can be integrated in organic photoelectronic devices, due to its unique structural and photophysical properties. The resultant poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT):F-graphene are soluble in common organic solvents, facilitating the structure/property characterization and the device fabrication by solution processing. The synthesized F-graphene is blended with the conjugated polymer in optimized concentration. The high and sensitive photoresponse of P3HT:F-graphene was demonstrated by the photodetector. A heterojunction photovoltaic device based on the solution-cast P3HT:F-graphene (with a BHJ structure of ITO/ZnO/P3HT:F-graphene/MoO3/Ag) showed a power conversion efficiency of 1.9% under AM1.5 illumination (100 mW/cm2). It provides a new method for graphene application in organic photoelectronics. It can easily enhance the performance of devices by optimizing the structure and bulk heterojunction blend in the near future.